How to be an Effective Host for Your Direct Sales Facebook Party

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Ok, so here you are ready to host a direct sales Facebook party because your friend asked you to host a with them for their new business. Or maybe you were at a Facebook party and realized you were about to spend way too much, and getting some freebies for hosting seems like the better way to go. Maybe you are in a group on Facebook and the person who runs it offered an extra bonus for hosting this month, and you thought “Heck yeah, I like EXTRA free stuff!” However it happened, you are now hosting a Facebook party and you want as much free stuff for hosting as possible. The key to that? Being an effective Facebook host.

We all know nothing is really FREE. For example, let’s talk different rewards programs. I do Pampers rewards, because at the moment I am opening a new case of diapers every 3 hours or so. (Or so it feels) So, in this case I am spending money, and based on how much I spend I get different rewards. What about credit card rewards? Same- totally based on how much I spend. Even the offer on Amazon where you can get a $100 gift card (or whatever it is at the moment) just for opening a credit card isn’t actually free, because interest. They bank on you owing interest at some point. So, with direct sales parties, you have to invest something to get the rewards as well. This time though, it’s your connections and TIME, but other than that- you don’t have to spend anything. The key here though, is to be an effective host.

Here are some things you can (and should) do to be an effective host; no matter what brand you are having the party for. (Every company calls their sellers something different, so from here on I am just going to use “rep” to mean the person you are hosting for)

Communicate with your Rep

This is A#1, top of the list, capitalize and underline, kinds of important. Seriously, I can’t stress enough how important this is. Things to communicate with your rep about: everything.

1. Start with talking to them about your wishlist. (Psst…. that means make a wishlist!) It is a great way to gauge how much your party needs to earn for you to get all of the stuff you want. Talk to your rep about it because they want to help you earn what you want and can tell you how much you need to have in sales to get it ALL. Plus, it’s always a good idea to have a goal.

2. Hopefully your rep gives you the rundown of how they setup their party, but if they don’t, ask! Make sure you guys are on the same page, and that you know what to expect. The more prepared you are, the more comfortable you will feel. If you are comfortable, your guests will be able to tell and in turn they will be comfortable.

3. If your rep is giving you hosting tips and instructions, follow them. This one is kind of big. Like, big enough that I am going to repeat it in bold. If your rep is telling you things to do, or even “suggesting” you do something, Do It. So here’s the thing with this one, this is our job. This is what we do. Even if your rep only works their direct sales business part time, it’s still their job. I stress this because when we tell you to do something a certain way, (or “suggest” as to not be pushy) we are telling you what we know works. It is, quite literally,our job to know what works.

Remember this: we want you to have high sales.

If we are telling you a certain way to do something, we know it works. We may even be stressing it, because we know that you don’t want to do it our way- but we also know that your way doesn’t work. That’s nothing against you! It’s our job to know how to get sales so you get the highest rewards!

Because, guess what? Higher rewards for you means: a) more sales for us, b) a happy hostess who recommends us, c) a happy hostess who continues to purchase from and host with us. These are all the business points but there’s also the human point of, we want to make you HAPPY! It makes us happy to make others happy. (A little inside tip… the people who do best in direct sales put money making on the back burner to helping others and making others happy.)

So, because it is so important, let me go over this again: If your rep gives you directions for the best way to invite, engage, or really anything… just do it. We aren’t sitting around trying to figure out how to make your life harder,we want you to have an AMAZING party.

4. Ok, this one is more common courtesy than anything. If your rep is messaging, texting, or calling you, with questions or info about your party, answer them. If they have sent you a task, or a tidbit, let them know that you got the message and you’re on it. There is nothing that makes us want to run away, or stop putting in effort faster than a host who doesn’t respond.

Personally invite your people.

Whether your rep tells you this or not, I’m going to. Not only that, but I am about to go into detail as to why this is so important. First, a story:

You get on Facebook after a long day of work then putting down the kids. (If you don’t have kids, skip that part… maybe your dog or cat was super needy tonight.) Anyway, you hop on Facebook and you have 8 or 10 notifications. A few likes on a picture you posted, a comment or two on something you had commented on, and 3 event invites. One of the invites is to your friend’s birthday party, one is to some community event that your mom is going to and wants you to join, and one is to an online party for something you’ve never heard of, from a friend you haven’t talked to in a year and a half.

So, as you’re going through your notifications, are you super excited to click on that? Or do you feel like you were spammed with 200 other people and it really doesn’t even matter if you rsvp? Me? I don’t even click on it for that exact reason. There is no reason for me to invest my time in this probably week-long notification fest, for a product I don’t know and a person I don’t talk to.

You know what does pique my interest?

A personal message from a friend. Even someone I haven’t talked to in 2 years that says, “Hey Rachel! I’m hosting a party for this brand who sells this kind of product. I absolutely love this specific thing they sell because it’s super awesome/helpful/a great gift. When I was thinking of who to invite, I thought of you because I know this specific thing about you that tells me you may like this product. Would you like an invite so you can check it out and decide if you want to try it?”

Heck yes, I do! You thought that I will probably like it and told me why I would like it. I am not just one of 200 people you are clicking “invite” on. I am special, you thought of me specifically. Yes, I want to know what it is and see if I really do like it. BAM- someone who will not only RSVP, but will be clicking on the notifications all week and participating in the party. You know what isn’t helpful to your rewards? People who are invited and never even look at what’s going on. By the way, yes, some people will say yes they are coming to a mass invite. There are a couple of reasons people do this, usually it’s because they think they are being nice. Unfortunately, the less people interact and click on notifications, the less Facebook shows the event posts in people’s newsfeeds. Which brings me to my next reason to personally invite and not mass add-

Facebook algorithm.

As a direct seller on Facebook, I can tell you we all hate the Facebook algorithms. One of my pet peeves about it, is that once you figure it out and can work with it, Facebook changes it. Just understanding what it is, is a science and people devote a lot of their time to mastering it. (Want a crash course? Join the Socialite Suite and check out Brenda Ster’s e-Book on the 3P’s. It’s free.)

So what does this algorithm have to do with your party and the 300 people you invited? The more people invited, the more RSVPs, the more interaction you better have. Facebook looks at the percentage of people interacting in any given group and on any given post, to decide how many people will see it. So if you have a ton of people not interacting? They are going to stop seeing posts from that group/event. How does personally inviting people in messages help? They have already said “yes” they want to be there. They will click notifications, pictures and links, and maybe even react or comment. This is Facebook gold. The more people who see what the product is that you are excited about, the more sales you will have, the more rewards you will get.

Interact during your party

This one is a non-negotiable. It’s your party. You are getting rewards for this. So, you need to be present and active in the party. Here’s the thing, your friends don’t know your rep. To them, your rep is just a sales person trying to make money. They are there because of you! They want to know why you like this product so much that you are trying to get some free, and why you like this rep enough to trust them to take care of your friends.

So, act like you have invited your rep and your friends into your home for this party. What would you do if this was an in-person event at your house? You would introduce your rep to your people, let everyone chat and get comfortable, mingle, offer refreshments, pick up and point out the products you think certain friends would like…. you would host.

Do that, but online.

You may be wondering how. Well, that’s why I’m writing this.

React, comment, and have conversation with your rep on their posts.

Tag friends. Tag them if they would think something is funny, or would love a product. Not the same friend over and over- just like you would mingle in your house, mingle in the event. No one wants to be tagged 1000 times, and no one wants to feel forgotten. The more people chatting and feeling comfortable, the more the event will start to get a life of its own.

Be genuine and comfortable in your comment, and make sure they are more than one word. Make them comments that people can react to and comment on.

Be excited! Not fake excited, like actually get yourself feeling excited! The more you feel it, the more it will come through in your comments.

Thank your guests whether they purchase or not.

Send out a personal thank you if they did though.

As a recap, and to show how simple this really is when you boil it down;

1. Communicate with your rep.

2. Personally invite your people.

3. Engage as if the party were in your home.

4. Thank your guests.

Follow these four points, and you will be a highly effective host for your Facebook party. Effective host means more sales and more rewards! Plus, your rep will love having parties with you your friends will love attending your parties, and most important- you will have more fun!

Are you a direct seller looking for a more effective way to do your Facebook Parties? Check out Social media direct sales guru, Brenda Ster’s Epic Facebook Parties

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